Hull defender MacDonald facing further time out

The former Barnsley centre-back has only featured three times for the Tigers this term, with all of those appearances coming back in August. He was initially sidelined with a calf injury before further tests in November revealed a blood clot.

Hull had hoped MacDonald would be able to resume playing next month but Adkins has now confirmed it will be pre-season at the earliest before the 26-year-old is back in the first-team fold.

Adkins told the club's website: "He's stayed with the medical team. We were hoping for him to be back by March but that's not going to happen now."

It is not the first time that MacDonald has suffered from a blood clot. He had a similar issue on one of his lungs when he was 15 although he made a full recovery.

This article originated on sportinastorm.com

Tom McGarry completed his sports journalist degree in 2011,and has since has become an integral part of the editorial and audio team. He is passionate about all things sport, particularly football, and is a lifelong supporter of his hometown club Carlisle United.